Food

How to make lemongrass your friend

Food

How to make lemongrass your friend

When you see lemongrass in the grocery store, you might think someone made a mistake putting it in the produce section since it kinda looks like sometime you should be planting, not eating. But if you give lemongrass a chance, its appealing, warming and lemony scent will have you hooked. Lemongrass is a thin reed-like plant with a pleasant citrus smell and flavour similar to that of lemon zest (but not quite). It is commonly used in Thai and Asian savoury sauces and curry or steeped to make tea.
When buying lemongrass, look for long (about 12 to 16 inches), thin, firm stalks that are pale yellow at the bottom and green at the top. To prepare, cut off the root end and discard. Cut off the dry part of the top (this could be as much as 6 inches) and remove any dry outer layers to reveal the light green stalk. From then, you can slice for curry dishes, grate with a rasp for stir-frys, or bruise the fibrous stalks with a meat mallet or the back of a chef's knife and add to your soup.
Lemongrass is a wonderful ingredient that will give your dish that hint of authenticity. Try these recipes featuring lemongrass: [caption id="attachment_9847" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi | Photography by Ryan Brook/TC Media[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9848" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Lemongrass Chicken Tacos | Photography by Joe Kim/TC Media[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9849" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Lemongrass Pork Tenderloin With Stir-Fry Quinoa | Photography by Joe Kim/TC Media[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9850" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Roasted Chili Lemongrass Squash | Photography by Jeff Coulson/TC Media[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9851" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Red Curry Pork Tenderloin and Squash | Photography by Jeff Coulson[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9852" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Thai Chicken and Coconut Milk Soup | Photography by Ryan Brook/TC Media[/caption]

Moisture Surge
Smooth out dull, dry and stressed out hair with an aggressive hydration regime. The key is to get a good base, first replenish then protect. "If you're prone to frizzy hair, try and use a smoothing shampoo," says Smith. If your hair is particularly parched, a heavy-duty hair mask should be applied once every week says Smith. Avoid oil slicked hair by distancing the product from the roots, two to three inches should do the trick. In between masks Smith recommends applying argan oil to damp hair post shower. "The oil will help weigh down the hair, which will in turn helps smooth out the frizz," says Smith.

StockSnap

Tame Flyways
Avoid any products with alcohol, it can dry hair out further. You can try an alcohol free hairspray or something a little more weighty. Smith recommends using a finishing cream. "I love Unite's Second Day ($25) because its a really light cream but still does it's job of weighing down flyways." Another old school trick is the rinse your hair with cold water, this helps cool the cuticle and slams down any breakage, which minimizes flyaways and makes hair look shinier. Another oldie but a goldie tip; run a Bounce dryer sheet over your hair to reduce the static, that can cause flyways.

Easy On The Heat
"Anytime you use a hot tool use a heat protectant, that's going to shield you from breakage [which causes hair to look frizzy] and makes the hair look healthier," says Smith. Be it your straightener, blowdryer or curling iron, heat can cause hair to look frayed. If your budget permits, invest in heat tools with ionic technology. They help to reduce frizz by compressing the cuticle, which fights off moisture. Just remember, less is more when it comes to heat tools and blow dryers.

Moroccanoil

Proper Technique
If your goal is to get your hair looking super sleek—and having it stay that way—it comes down to mastering a blowout. After a serum or argan oil is applied to damp hair, spritz on the heat protector and rough dry with your blowdryer. "You want to rough dry until your hair is 70-80% dry," says Smith. Smooth things out by applying the nozzle and using a round brush, "aiming the nozzle down will help close the hair's cuticles [this is the outermost part of the hair shaft and it's formed from dead cells, overlapping in layers] down, which helps it look really sleek and shiny," says Smith.